The Velocity, by all accounts, is one sexy airplane. A "pusher" in aviation parlance, the rear-mounted engine helps to balance the design, and makes for a quieter cockpit too. The "XL" is for extra large, in that the rear passenger compartment is a bit bigger than the original version, and the "RG" is for retractable gear.

Joe Shepherd is "the man". A retired Northwest Airlines Captain with over 30 years experience, his aviation roots began in General Aviation, where they remain. He was a CFI for a while before signing on with Northwest. After retiring, he quickly returned to General Aviation. I'm told this is a bit of an anomaly, as many retired airline pilots hang it up altogether, preferring not to go back to the little airplanes. Not so with Joe...

Upon seeing these images, a friend asked how long I had waited for that light. My response was "Yea, sure...waited for days!" Well, we did in a way, because this was just after the torrential rains that we had this fall in Atlanta. The Chattahoochee River is just behind the far trees in the background, and was still very much above flood stage.